The present invention relates to a steering wheel for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a steering wheel incorporating an air bag device for protecting an occupant sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-163146 describes a prior art steering wheel that enables an air bag module to be attached to a steering wheel body with a single action. Referring to FIGS. 20A and 20B, in the prior art steering wheel, an air bag module 100 includes a retainer 101 provided with a catch 102. A fastening end 111 of a pin 110, which is arranged on a metal core (not shown), is engaged with the catch 102 to connect the air bag module 100 to the steering wheel body.
The catch 102 includes an outer plate 103, an inner plate 104, and a coil spring 105. Thus, the catch 102 increases the number of components and assembling steps of the steering wheel. Further, the metal core must be machined with high accuracy to accurately attach the pin 110 to the metal core. Thus, the steering wheel has a high manufacturing cost.
To disengage the catch 102 from the pin 110, the inner plate 104 must be moved against the urging force of the coil spring 105 to separate the air bag module 100 from the metal core. This is burdensome and time-consuming.